1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin sorting apparatus, and more particularly, to a coin sorting apparatus in which coins are sorted according to the size of them while the coins are thrown through a coin slot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a coin sorting apparatus indicates a machine for separating and sorting a large amount of coins according to the respective size of coins within a short time, and it is widely used in financial institutions such as banks or business commerce to quickly and exactly sort coins.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional typical coin sorting apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional typical coin sorting apparatus includes a coin slot 10 through which a large amount of coins are thrown, a guide 30 for allowing the coins, which are thrown through the coin slot 10 to be sorted and received according to the size of the coins, a coin receiving tube 40 for receiving the coins carried through the guide 30 at a predetermined amount, a fallen-coin drawer 50 for collecting the coins, which are not received in the coin receiving tube 40, and a power switch 60 for supplying or shutting off a power to the coin sorting apparatus.
Hereinafter, the operation of the coin sorting apparatus structured as above is described briefly. If a user turns on the power switch 60, and supplies coins into the coin slot 10, the coins are sorted by a sorting unit located below the coin slot 10, and discharged through the guide 30.
The coins discharged through the guide 30 are stacked in the coin receiving tube 40. In case the coin receiving tube 40 is made in a two-stage structure as shown in FIG. 1, the coins are received in the coin receiving tube 40 adjacent to the guide 30.
When the coin receiving tube 40 adjacent to the guide 30 is filled with coins, the coins are received in another coin receiving tube 40.
If the coin receiving tube 40 is filled with coins, a user turns off the power switch 60, and takes out the coin receiving tube 40 to use the coins.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional typical coin sorting apparatus to illustrate the inside of the coin sorting apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 2, the coin sorting apparatus includes a coin slot 10 through which coins are thrown, a supply control container 11 for controlling the supply amount of the coins thrown through the coin slot 10 such that the coins are supplied into a separating unit by a small amount, a supply hole 12 formed on a sidewall of the supply control container 11, and allowing a small amount of coins to be thrown, a cover 15 for preventing the coins from coming out of the supply control container 11 while the supply control container 11 is rotated, a carrier container 13 for carrying the coins thrown through the supply hole 12 such that the coins are separated and sorted by a carrier hole 14 and a separation hole 16, and a rotation shaft 18 and a motor 17 for rotating the supply control container 11 and the carrier container 13.
In addition, the coin sorting apparatus further includes a guide 30 for guiding the coins sorted by the separation hole 16 for a receipt of the coins, a coin receiving tube 40 for receiving the coins carried out through the guide 30, a tube receiving container 41 for receiving the coin receiving tube 40, and a fallen-coin drawer 50 for receiving the coins, which are not received in the coin receiving tube 40 and are fallen down.
The operation of the conventional coin sorting apparatus structured as above is described. If a large amount of coins are supplied into the coin slot 10, the coins are received in the supply control container 11. Then, a small amount of coins are put into the carrier container 13 through the supply hole 12 formed on the side wall of the supply control container 11 as the supply control container 11 is rotated.
The coins, which are put into the carrier container 13, are inserted into the carrier hole 14 formed on the carrier container 13 while the carrier container 13 is rotated, and then, the coins are moved into the separation hole 16 along with the carrier container 13 rotated.
The separation hole 16 is provided with a plurality of holes having different size, and the separation holes 16 are provided in an order from the small size to the big size according to the rotation direction of the carrier hole 14.
Therefore, small sizes of coins are discharged through the separation hole 16, and then, the biggest sizes of coins are finally discharged through the separation hole 16.
The rotation of the supply control container 11 and the carrier container 13 are performed by the rotation shaft 18 and the motor 17 placed under the carrier container 13.
The sorted coins passing through the separation hole 16 are carried along the guide 30, and received in the coin receiving tube 40.
The coin receiving tube 40 can be provided by one every size of coins, or as shown in the drawings, the coin receiving tube 40 can be provided by two having the same size every size of coins.
If the two coin receiving tubes 40 are all filled up with coins, coins are now fallen down and received in the fallen-coin drawer 50.
After the sorting of coins is completed, a user can take out the coin receiving tube 40 and get a desired kind of coins.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are views of the conventional coin sorting apparatus with a withdrawal assembly of the coin receiving tube illustrated.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the conventional coin sorting apparatus includes a motor 17 for generating a power, a rotation shaft 18 for transferring the rotation force generated by the motor 17, a supply control container 11 figured to be concaved at its center and having a supply hole 12 on its side such that a predetermined amount of coins are supplied during its rotation, a cover 15 coupled with the upper side of the supply control container 11 and having a coin slot 10 at its center, for preventing the coins inside the supply control container 11 from escaping, a carrier container 13 provided under the supply control container 11 and having a carrier hole 14 such that the coins are placed in ones, a plurality of separation holes 16 having different size respectively such that the coins carried by the carrier hole 14 are sorted, a guide 30 for guiding a receipt of the coins sorted by the separation holes 16 to a predetermined location, a coin receiving tube 40 for receiving the coins fallen down from the guide 30, a tube receiving container 41 for receiving the coin receiving tube 40, a fallen-coin drawer 50 for collecting the fallen coins, which are not received in the coin receiving tube 40, a slope member 51 which is integrally formed with the fallen-coin drawer 50 and has a sloping surface so that the tube receiving container 41 moves, a roller 44 provided on the lower side of the tube receiving container 41 so that the tube receiving container 41 easily moves along the sloping surface of the slope member 51, and a micro switch 54 provided on the back of the slope member 51 and turning on and off a power switch according to the contact-on/off with the slope member 51.
In addition, a protrusion 42 is provided inside the tube receiving container 41 and a groove 43 is provided on the inner wall of the coin sorting apparatus so that the tube receiving container 41 moves up and down when the slope member 51 moves back and forth.
Operation of the withdrawal assembly of the coin receiving tube in the conventional coin sorting apparatus structured as above is described. If a large amount of coins are supplied into the coin slot 10, the coins are received in the supply control container 11. Then, a small amount of coins are put into the carrier container 13 through the supply hole 12 formed on the side wall of the supply control container 11 as the supply control container 11 is rotated.
The coins, which are put into the carrier container 13, are inserted into the carrier hole 14 formed on the carrier container 13 while the carrier container 13 is rotated, and then, the coins are sorted through the separation hole 16 with the carrier container 13 rotated, and are received in the coin receiving tube 40 along the guide 30.
The coins, which are not received in the coin receiving tube 40, are fallen down in the fallen-coin drawer 50, and a shield film 52 prevents coins from coming out of the coin sorting apparatus.
When the sorting of coins is completed, and if a user turns off a power switch, or pulls out the fallen-coin drawer 50, the slope member 51 connected to the back of the fallen-coin drawer 50 is moved whereby the slope member 51 and the micro switch 54 are detached so as to turn off a power switch.
Since the slope member 51 moves in the same direction as the fallen-coin drawer 50, the tube receiving container 41 moves up along the sloping surface of the slope member 51 with little friction force by the roller 44.
In other words, since the protrusions 42 formed on the both sides of the tube receiving container 41 are coupled with the groove 43 formed on the inner wall of the coin sorting apparatus, the tube receiving container 41 moves just up and down without back and forth movement when the slope member 51 moves.
In other words, if the slope member 51 moves up, the power switch is turned off and the tube receiving container 41 moves up.
FIG. 4 illustrates that the tube receiving container 41 moves up along the sloping surface of the slope member 51, and the power switch is turned off with the micro switch 54 and the slope member 51 detached.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing that the power switch is turned off with the fallen-coin drawer pulled out, and the tube receiving container moves up by the slope member.
Referring to FIG. 5, as described in FIGS. 3 and 4, if the fallen-coin drawer 50 is pulled out, the power switch is turned off, and the tube receiving container 41 moves up so that a user can take out the coin receiving tube 40 mounted on the tube receiving container 41.
In the case that the coin receiving tubes 40 are provided very closely and in two arrays as illustrated in the drawings, since all of the coin receiving tubes 40 are raised up together, it will be difficult to take out the coin receiving tube 40 from the tube receiving container 41.
Especially, it will be more difficult to take out the coin receiving tube 40 by big fingers or with gloves put on.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view for illustrating a principle that coins are received into the coin receiving tube in the conventional coin sorting apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 6, the conventional coin sorting apparatus uses a free-fall principle by gravity whereby the sorted coins carried along the guide 30 are stacked in the coin receiving tube 40a adjacent to the guide 30 first, and if the coin receiving tube 40a is filled up with coins, coins are fallen down into a next coin receiving tube 40b. 
In other words, by using the same principle as overflowing of water, the same size of coins are received in at least one coin receiving tube 40.
As described above, the conventional coin receiving tube 40 allows the sorted coins to be fallen down from the guide 30 into the coin receiving tube 40, but it has a problem in which coins may be fallen down into a wrong-sized coin receiving tube 40 near the coin receiving tube 40 which the coins are intended to be fallen into, while the coins are received in the coin receiving tube 40 after the first coin receiving tube 40 is filled up with coins.
In addition, when taking out one coin receiving tube 40, which is filled up with coins, the overall operation of the coin sorting apparatus should be stopped.